


Snow Day

by JujYFru1T



Category: IAMX
Genre: AO3 1 Million, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Friendship/Love, M/M, Possibly Pre-Slash, or maybe just slash, that works, writing this gave me so much WAFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-21
Updated: 2014-02-21
Packaged: 2018-01-13 02:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1210066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JujYFru1T/pseuds/JujYFru1T
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One way to disrupt a peaceful winter afternoon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snow Day

**Author's Note:**

> Rated T for a bit of swearing, s'all. *cough*overly cautious*cough*  
> Dedicated to the usual suspects [paawlie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/paawlie/pseuds/paawlie) and [my_wine_in_silence](http://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeizzy/pseuds/my_wine_in_silence). All for one et cetera? ^w^U  
> I also dedicate this fic to my dear darling friend [Arely](http://portraitofa-girl.tumblr.com/), because of many reasons. <3 Te amo, bella~

Alberto sat under his tree, staring out at the field, legs stretched out in the snow. This spot was his favorite in any kind of weather, but in the wintertime it had a cleansing purity and quiet that he especially loved. Here he could be alone with his thoughts. Here he felt like he could stop time for a little while. And days like these, with new snow blanketing everything, made him feel as though he were the only being in the world.

He briefly considered making a snow angel before deciding he didn't particularly feel like moving that amount of snow. Or moving at all, really. Watching his breath stream out in front of him was far more interesting. He put an imaginary cigarette to his lips, inhaling, then pursed his lips as he blew out the "smoke". Grinning, he attempted to make rings, and when that failed he tried to see just how much steam he could create in one go. On the inhale the cold chose that moment to attack his lungs, and he started to cough. Eyes watering, he covered his mouth with a gloved hand while he rummaged in his backpack. He pulled out a thermos and took a long, breath-holding drink of hot cider, then lowered it with a happy sigh.

**paff~**

A snowball hit him in the chest, and another almost knocked off his hat—

**poff~**

and one just missed his face, hitting the tree instead.

"Hey!" he said, hat falling over his eyes as he jerked to one side.

Okay, clearly he wasn't the only human around. And there was only one other person who knew of his spot...

He scrambled up and ducked away from his tree, still holding the thermos. A peal of laughter rang out ahead of him, or was it behind him?

"What are you doing lazing about when there's fun to be had?"

With a growl, Alberto yanked the hat off and thew it down in front of him. Halfway down the hill, smiling genially, stood his best friend: ginger-haired, snowsuit-bedecked Chris Corner.

Still slightly disoriented, Alberto wasn't sure what to react to first. So he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Chris said slowly, raising an eyebrow as he made his way up.

"Your— your suit, it's—"

Chris's coat was, in a word, ploofy. The more modest snow pants looked like stockings in comparison.

"Oh!" Realizing the source of Alberto's amusement, he pushed off the fur-lined hood with a grin. "All right, go on and laugh. But I can do stuff like this...!" And he fell backward into the snow.

Silence. Alberto gathered himself. He paced toward the Chris-shaped space.

The other boy sat up and sprang to his feet, snow falling from him. "Still dry," he said.

"I can stay just as dry," Alberto replied, "without five layers of insulation." His suit was much more fitting, black with red trim. His hat didn't quite match, being red-and-white striped, but it was his favorite; the wool kept him quite warm. Chris had picked it up and was now examining it.

"I like my suit. I'm _invincible_ in it!" He punctuated the statement by tossing Alberto's hat in the air and catching it. "Hey, I like this, this little pompom thing..." He twirled it around, whistling.

"Give that back."

Chris's whistle stopped on a question mark. "Sure. On one condition."

Alberto attempted not to roll his eyes. "Okay."

"Gimmie some of that booze, yeah?"

"Wha—" He blinked unseeingly at his thermos, having forgotten his was holding it. "It's not booze," he protested as he handed it over.

Chris laughed. "I'm screwing with you, mate. You're too squeaky clean." He raised the thermos to his lips and took a sip. "What with your perfect glossy hair an' that..."

Automatically Alberto brought a hand to his shoulder-length hair, face flushing. "Sod off."

"Mmh." Chris swallowed the next drink. "Someone's touchy..." He waved the thermos at Alberto, who grabbed it and then got a hat to the face. "See, if you'd been paying attention and not mucking with your hair—"

**ploff~**

He wiped the snow from his face and smirked at a grinning Alberto.

"Now who's not paying attention?" Hat safely on his head, he ran to his backpack dodging snowballs and brought it behind the tree. Stowing away the thermos, he placed the backpack down, dropped to the ground and ninja-rolled out from behind the tree.

Or might have, if he hadn't somehow forgotten the depth of the snow. Chris guffawed at him, kicking up snow in a jig of mirth.

Alberto extricated himself from the drift, stumbling forward. "As if you wouldn't be rolling around like a—" he paused for the proper metaphor— "—a drunken polar bear!"

"An _invincible_ drunken polar bear," Chris said, giggling, deftly sidestepping a pair of snowballs lobbed at his head. "You can't get me, nyaaah~"

Alberto just stared, dusting off his snowsuit with purposeful slaps. A dark smile slowly spread across his face. "Watch me try."

Then he charged.

"Oh, shit!"

They took off running, spraying up snow, their laughter and shouts filling the air. Chris was lighter then Alberto, so he was at an advantage.

Or would have been, if his snowsuit weren't quite so bulky. He tripped a split-second before Alberto tackled him, and down they rolled in a blur of white, red, black and blue.

In a tangle of limbs at the bottom of the hill, they lay gasping for breath. Chris disentangled himself first and flopped onto his back, chuckling.

Alberto groaned good-naturedly. "I'm dizzy."

"Me too, isn't it great?"

They grinned at each other. And Alberto unexpectedly found his heart in his throat.

Chris was practically glowing, skin flushed from the sprint. The red of his hair made it seem even more that a fire lit him from within.

Chris's smile faltered. "Oi, you're staring," he said, punching Alberto's shoulder with a laugh. "Knock it off."

"You stare at my hair," Alberto said, an afterthought, and maybe it wasn't true but he had to distract Chris somehow. "I was admiring how healthy you look," he added, smirking.

"Because I'm normally such a weakling." Chris grinned. "You know I'd have gotten away if I hadn't tripped. I have _way_ more stamina than you do."

Alberto snorted. "Then why do I always kick your arse in fifty-meter butterfly?"

"That's different." He smacked Alberto again, tugging at his hair for good measure. "Of course you're better at _swimming;_ you've got all the _muscles_. Butterfly's the hardest stroke anyway." He stretched his arms out above him as he stretched out his next words. "I'm the best at _running_ 'cause I'm not a galumphing git like you."

"All right, that's it." Up in a flash, Alberto pinned Chris, hands around his throat in a feather-light vise. "You never know when to shut up!"

Chris thrashed about, trying to fight off the attack. "No, stop, I'm a delicate flower," he cried, laughing hysterically.

The two rolled around, pushing and shoving. Finally Chris got ahold of Alberto's hair and gave it a yank.

"Dirty bastard," Alberto yelped, pulling away. Fast as lightning, Chris pulled a sit-up and leapt at him.

"Waugh—!"

"Got you!"

Now Alberto was the one pinned, caught in breathless laughter. "Okay, you win this one."

"Agility always trumps brute force," Chris said, beaming down at him, hands planted firmly on his shoulders.

"You played dirty, though!"

"But we didn't say we were gonna play fair."

Alberto sighed. "My hair's all wet now. Come on, let me up." He could have pushed Chris off of him but his arms felt too heavy.

"Hang on. Since my victory was so spectacular, I deserve a prize."

Besides having leaden arms, Alberto realized, his legs were bracketed by Chris's. His face grew hot. "You want more cider?" he asked, wincing inwardly when his voice cracked.

Chris affected a thoughtful look. "Nah," he said, then leaned down and kissed him.

At least, that's what Alberto thought happened. Chris's lips had touched his for not even a millisecond. "Wha..."

Chris tilted his head, questioning.

"Get off me, man," Alberto snapped. The other boy conceded and sat back on his heels, chuckling. "And stop _fucking_ laughing!"

He sat up as Chris froze, looking at him with wide eyes. "Well. Sorry." The word had a snide drawl to it, and his mouth had become a thin line.

"You should be. You didn't even do it right."

"What?" The angry hurt in Chris's eyes disappeared as quickly as it had formed, replaced by surprise.

"I said." Alberto grasped Chris's collar. "You didn't even—" Pulled him forward. "—do it right."

With Alberto's hand behind his neck, Chris couldn't have moved even if he'd wanted to. Alberto's lips pressed so firmly to his own, but neither of them moved. It could have been a photograph, a statue of a kiss.

After what felt like eons, Alberto pulled away, lungs tingling. Chris sucked a breath, let it out. Their eyes met for a moment before they both looked away, red-cheeked and silent.

"That's how it's supposed to happen," Alberto said after a moment, quietly. "The first kiss needs to be an actual kiss."

"Wh— You—" He would have laughed at the sheer incredulity on Chris's face if he weren't still bashful. "You mean to tell me," said Chris, weighing each word, "that you have never been kissed before? With your legions of admirers?"

Now Alberto did laugh. "Legions of admirers. You're joking."

Chris shook his head. "That's why you're so popular. You don't even notice how popular you are."

"I notice," Alberto muttered. "I just pretend not to. You know I don't like it."

"Says the guy who's friend with Mr. Loner Extraordinaire."

"You're not a loner, you're choosy about who you want to be friends with. There's a difference."

Chris continued as if he hadn't heard. "'Course your lovely flowing locks are a popularity-booster as well..."

"Ah, the truth is out." Alberto raised his head and sighed to the sky. "You only like me for my hair."

Raising a hand, Chris stroked said hair once, gently. "Not in the least. I also greatly admire your impressive physique."

"You git," said Alberto fondly. "Are you capable of being serious for one second?"

"I _am_ serious. Deadly fucking serious, in fact."

"Chris." Alberto placed a hand on Chris's shoulder and stared directly at him. "Why do you like me? Honestly."

"I like you," he said soberly, "because you're my best friend."

"But that doesn't count!"

"Why doesn't it? I gave you an honest answer. And I think that's the best possible reason. Don't you see?" He untucked his legs to cross them in front of him, then continued with energetic gesticulations. "It's the most solid foundation to start a relationship from! You already know plenty about each other, so there isn't any awkwardness—"

"Or else it'll introduce a whole lot of it."

"Well, I don't know about you but I've never felt less awkward in my entire life." Chris was beaming, eyes sparkling. "Right now I feel like I'll never be awkward again." His smile slowly faded as he stared back at Alberto, whose expression of quiet intensity hadn't changed.

"You've got snow in your hair."

"Uh." Chris cleared his throat. "Obviously. You knocked my hood off and then--"

Alberto shook his head, smiling now. "I meant from the snow that's falling."

They both looked up at the incoming snowflakes, blinking as some landed on their faces.

"Oh." Chris pointed unnecessarily. "The big fluffy kind. That's my favorite."

"Mine too." Alberto reached out and ruffled his hair, making him chuckle. "You have nice hair too, you know. Since you're always on about mine."

"Eh." A shrug. "I've been thinking about growing it out actually. Maybe not as long as yours..."

"I like how... it is... now." Alberto was powerless against the blush that lit up his face as an image of a long-haired Chris entered his mind.

" _Do_ you, though?" It was quite possible Chris had never looked so sly.

"Um. But it, er, it's your hair. Y'can do want you want." Alberto coughed weakly, then busied himself with looking for his probably soaked hat.

"Got it."

The hat sailed into his lap. "Thanks."

"Useless now, really. Anyway," Chris said, flipping his hood back onto his head as he charged back onto topic, "I might grow my hair out just so I can see you like that."

Alberto was pointlessly attempting to wring out his hat, looking everywhere but at Chris. "Like what?"

"All blushing and flustered. It's _so_ cute~"

He dropped the hat and hid his face in his hands with a groan. "Now you'll have even _more_ reasons to mess with me."

"You'd think something was wrong with me if I didn't."

A sigh. "You're right, you're right..."

Chris scooted closer and took hold of one of Alberto's arms, tugging gently. "Hey."

Alberto let his hands drop and offered a small smile. "What?"

"I wanna know if we're doing this thing or not."

His smile widened at a pouting Chris. "Whining doesn't suit you." That pout, on the other hand...

"Answer me and I'll stop, come on~"

"Yeah. Yeah, we're doing this thing."

The lightning-quick, blinding smile on Chris's face had Alberto thinking his heart might pop right out of his chest. Then he was in a hug so tight he almost couldn't breathe. He also couldn't care less.

"That's sorted," Chris said into his ear, unable to stop a laugh slipping out.

He released Alberto after a few moments, still wearing that million-watt smile, and Alberto had to smile back. Impulsively he leaned over and kissed Chris's cheek, earning a soft blush.

"You are really cute when you blush," he told him, causing the blush to deepen.

"Yet another thing we have in common," Chris replied, his smile turning cheeky.

"And another thing you're better at than I am."

"Oh, puh-leeze!" He gave a magnificently exaggerated eye roll. "Stop selling yourself short, and that's an order. As my boyfriend, I won't have you comparing yourself to me all the time." He patted Alberto's knee, lips quirking. "After all, it's an exercise in futility."

Caught between wanting to burp rainbows and wanting to strangle him, Alberto settled for socking him on the arm. "You are _such_ an asshole."

"But I'm your asshole." As soon as the words came out, the two collapsed into helpless laughter.

"That sounded completely wrong," Chris choked out between guffaws. "Oh my god I am so sorry."

Alberto had flopped into the snowdrift, laughing so hard tears were forming.

"Oh, my _god_. That was awful!"

Gasping for air, Alberto wiped at his eyes. "Jesus fucking Christ," he wheezed, arms flailing as he tried to sit up. "You're going to kill me one of these days."

Chris grabbed both his hands and pulled him up. "There are worse ways to go."

"True." Alberto cleared his throat and gave a great sigh. "So. You're an asshole but you're also mine, then."

Chris made a sort of _pffft_ noise as Alberto cocked an eyebrow in consternation. "Not much better, is it?" he said, stifling more laughter.

Giggling now, Chris shook his head. "Maybe you'd better stop talking. Besides, we need to get you something for your head, you're soaked now."

Alberto made a half-hearted attempt at a gallant hair toss. "Perhaps I will grow a crown of icicles."

"That'd be the hypothermia setting in..." Chris stood up and offered a hand; Alberto picked up his hat before accepting. "Come on, princess." He swung away from an arm punch as they walked back to Alberto's tree.

"Asshole." Alberto stuck his tongue out.

"Git."

"Niño bonito."

"Elefante borracho."

Alberto barked a laugh. "What?"

"I dunno, it just sounds cool." Chris grinned, rifling through Alberto's backpack until he was shoved away.

"Do you even know what it means?" Alberto asked, retrieving a spare hat (one that actually matched his outfit) and putting it on.

"Sí. Te he llamado un 'drunken elephant', señor. See, I listen in Spanish class."

Zipping up his backpack, Alberto snorted. "You've spent too much time with me, is what," he said as Chris assisted him with shouldering it.

"And I'm still not tired of you." Chris skipped ahead then turned back to him, walking backwards.

"You're lucky _I'm_ not tired of _you_."

"That's precisely why we're such a good team."

"You shouldn't walk backwards down a hill, man. Not in this weather."

"Even with my invincible coat?" But Chris spun around and fell into step beside him, taking his hand. "By the way, have you got any more cider?"

"Walk home with me and I'll get you some fresh."

"Wonderful idea. Cider and snowstorms are two of my favorite things. And..."

They shared a smile. Alberto slung an arm around Chris's shoulders.

"Mine too, Chris. ...You're mine, too."

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this a few days ago, in the middle of a snowstorm. It had been snowing a megaton outside but it's really pretty and making me feel all Zen and WHAMMO, this plotbunny attacks me. I really wanted to write Calberto being adorable, I guess. As to why they're teenagers... the plotbunny said it must be so. becauseSPCCisthebeautifullestthingever
> 
> ohgod now I want to write about the whole gang in the snow and more teenage AU haalllp too many ideaaass


End file.
